Races
' ' Chapter 2: Races In the Isles of Gula world, there are so many races to choose from. As you walk down the road voices chatter in countless different languages. The smells of cooking in dozens of different cuisines mingle with the odors of crowded streets and poor sanitation. Buildings in myriad architectural classes display the diverse origins of their inhabitants. And the people. People of varying size, shape, and color, dressed in a dazzling spectrum of classes and hues… represent many different races. But who are you? Choosing a Race Humans are the most common people in the world of Isles of Gula, but they live and work alongside little Midgets, and hulking Jardier, and in the sea, there are many other races such as the Aventi and the Merfolk, or the Locathahs always doing battle with the Triton and countless other fantastic species. Your character belongs to one of these peoples. Not every intelligent race of the multiverse is appropriate for a player-controlled adventurer. Aventi, Triton, Midgets, and humans are the most common races to produce the sort of adventurers who make up typical parties. Other races and subraces are less common as adventurers. Your choice of race affects many different aspects of your character. It establishes fundamental qualities that exist throughout your character’s adventuring class. When making this decision, keep in mind the kind of character you want to play. For example, a midget could be a good choice for a sneaky thief, a Jardier makes a great barbarian. Your character race not only affects your ability scores and traits but also provides the cues for building your character’s story. Each race’s description in this chapter includes information to help you roleplay a character of that race, including personality, physical appearance, features of society, and racial alignment tendencies. These details are suggestions to help you think about your character; adventurers can deviate widely from the normal for their race. It’s worthwhile to consider why your character is different, as a helpful way to think about your character’s backstory and personality. Racial Traits The description of each race includes racial traits that are common to members of that race. The following entries appear among the traits of most races. Statistic Increase Every race increases one or more of a character’s Statistic. Age The age entry notes the age when a member of the race is considered an adult, as well as the race’s expected lifespan. This information can help you decide how old your character is at the start of the game. You can choose any age for your character, which could provide an explanation for some of your ability scores. For example, if you play a young or very old character, your age could explain a particularly low Strength or Constitution score, while advanced age could account for a high Intelligence or Wisdom. Alignment Most races have tendencies toward certain alignments, described in this entry. These are not binding for player characters, but considering why your dwarf is chaotic, for example, in defiance of lawful dwarf society can help you better define your character. Size Characters of most races are Medium, a size category including creatures that are roughly 4 to 8 feet tall. Members of a few races are Small (between 2 and 4 feet tall), which means that certain rules of the game affect them differently. The most important of these rules is that Small characters have trouble wielding heavy weapons. Speed Your speed determines how far you can move when traveling and fighting. Languages By virtue of your race, your character can speak, read, and write certain languages. Every race lists the most common languages of that race. Half-Breeds When your character’s father was a aventi and your character’s mom was a Kortocka, your character is a half-breed. He or she might be embarrassed about his mix race, but that is your choice. Half-breeds have the stats of one of their parent’s race in addition to the racial traits of one of their parent’s race. For example, Gabe wants to make a nAventi-Jardier half-breed. So he takes the stats of the Jardier and adds the amphibious trait of the Aventi.